


i hope we're holding hands by new year's eve

by nightcap



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, First Date, Fluff, Gen, Marauders, Marauders era, SO MUCH FLUFF, Three Broomsticks, pure self-indulgence, so much so much fluff, some awkwardness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-15
Updated: 2014-03-15
Packaged: 2018-01-15 18:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1315633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightcap/pseuds/nightcap
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James and Lily on their first date and Lily can’t seem to understand why James gets pissed off when he sees a black stray dog sitting outside ‘The Three Broomsticks’ wagging his tail. credit to <a href="http://stagdogwolfandrat.tumblr.com/post/76088510658/james-and-lily-on-their-first-date-and-lily-cant">this</a> post.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i hope we're holding hands by new year's eve

It’s not like James hasn’t been on a date before. He’s been on many, with many girls, at many places, and – oh, who is he kidding. He has no idea what he’s doing.

“It’s going to be fine,” says Sirius, lazily tossing his wand in the air. “It’s not like you haven’t done this before. Bring out the old James Potter smile, you’ll have her falling at your feet.”

“Nah,” cuts in Remus, who’s lying at the foot of James’s bed. “ _I’ll_ reckon you’re well and truly arsed. You’d do better to stay here and study. We’ve got that demonstration with Flitwick tomorrow, anyway.”

“Right,” says James, who smiles weakly, laughs hysterically, and rolls over, sinking his face into his pillow.

“Oh, asscrack,” shouts Sirius (James isn’t sure if that’s an exclamation or some term of endearment) in sudden recognition. “You’re _terrified_. I can’t believe it. Can you believe it? _Remus_.”

“Please shut up,” mumbles James, lifting his head for a breath of air. “It’s not like I _like_ her or anything. I haven’t even talked to her in a year. See? Ignoring. Ignoring is not liking.”

Sirius looks at Remus meaningfully.

“You’re so whipped,” laughs Remus disbelievingly, turning to Sirius, who’s now beside him, and throwing an arm over his chest. “You’re _so_ _incredibly_ _whipped_.”

“Whipped," laughs James in return. "She hates me. Remember in second year?"

"When you were a total _tosser_ ," says Sirius, rolling his eyes. "Which you're not, anymore. Mostly. And besides. Did you see the way she looked at you yesterday–" – James opens his mouth to protest – “–She obviously likes you, not really sure why, but – James. She asked you on a date. For me, anyway, that's pretty much solid proof that she at least tolerates you."

"We don't know it's a date," says James crossly. "She just asked if I wanted to come with her to the Three Broomsticks. Maybe she wants help with Herbology or something."

"James – James, Potter, Prongs," says Remus, "Stay with me here. Look. Do you know what grade you've got in Herbology?"

"He tries not to," says Sirius helpfully.

"Right," says Remus. "Exactly. Now, if it was Defense…”

"She doesn't need help with _that_ ," says James. "Have you seen her? She's a whiz. Did you see that spell she cooked up yesterday–"

Remus looks knowingly at Sirius. James resists the urge to punch him.

"Ignoring," says Sirius, making air quotes with his fingers. "Doing a great job of that."

"Shut _up_ ," says James, sinking his face into his pillow again. Or maybe it's Sirius's pillow, judging by the wet dog smell. Whatever. It’s not like he cares.

"Really, though," says Remus seriously, lying down next to James. "We can be there with you, if you want. Sit in the back by the bathrooms and offer moral support. She'll never know."

"Trust me, she'll know," says James, lifting his head from his pillow and sitting up, sneakily sliding his hand beneath his robe. "She's not _stupid_."

This sets off a series of coos from Sirius and Remus, making heart-eyes and mussing up James's hair. And then –

" _Levicorpus!_ "

That shuts them up.

 

***

 

“Hand me the chocolate frog,” says James, slightly muffled, from where he’s splayed on the red futon. “And the card, too. I want to see if it’s a Flamel.”

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” asks Sirius, breaking off a leg and tossing it into Remus’s mouth, or somewhere near it. “You have a date in an hour. Don’t you want to look nice for _Lily_?”

“No,” says James, sticking his hand out. “Give me the _frog_.”

“No,” says Sirius, biting off the head. “Dress up for _Lily_.”

“You’re not my _mother_ ,” whines Remus in what he probably thinks is a perfect impression of James. “Besides, I don’t even _like_ Lily.”

“I haven’t even looked at her in a year!” Sirius chimes in, clasping his hands ridiculously under his chin. “But did you see that smile she gave me yesterday? Did you see the way her eyes crinkled up and her freckles traveled up her nose and did you see how her hair looked–”

“SHUT UP,” says James, cheeks looking redder than they did a minute ago. Sirius’s hand freezes halfway to his mouth. Remus looks up expectantly from his history textbook. “Okay, alright, you’ve got me – I don’t hate her. And, sure, she’s pretty – pretty alright-looking, I mean.”

Smug smiles. Sirius tosses James one of the legs. James catches it in his mouth and chews as intimidatingly as possible.

 

***

Now James doesn’t know how to sit and it’s driving him crazy. There’s that thing he usually does with his foot to calm himself down, that sort of banging motion with the chair leg, but it isn’t _working_ , and he finds himself standing up, not knowing what to do, sitting down, and running his hands through his hair. Of course when Lily _finally_ comes in (it’s not that she’s late, it’s that James is terribly, pathetically early), his hair is an absolute mess.

“James,” she says, fiddling with the edge of her shirt. “What are you _wearing_?”

“Clothes. Uh – clothes? I couldn’t come naked,” he explains, and, yeah, his chest’s doing that weird closed-up thing and _of course_ all the jokes he’s stored up’ve left his head. They’ve run down to his toes, maybe, if the heat he’s feeling there is any indication.

“Girls – distracted. They’d be distracted.” Oh, that’s not really a smile on Lily’s face, is it. More of a weird grimace. Maybe he’s overdone it? Maybe he should just run away. Good plan. Let’s –

“We’re here to study,” says Lily, rolling her eyes. “For Herbology? You’re helping me?”

Oh, shit. Mental reminder. Tick. Don’t listen to Sirius. Or Remus. Like, _ever_. Is that why Lily has the bag? Books. Textbooks. For school. Like, studying. Not a date. A study date. Oh.

“So, uh, the suit? I don’t need it. I can change, if you want –”

“Don’t _change_ ,” says Lily. “You’re fine. I don’t need your help with Herbology. Just didn’t have time, after my study session with Millie? To drop off my books, I mean. And, by the way, just a friendly reminder – Have you seen your grades? Maybe you need _my_ help?”

“Evans,” James says crossly. “You sound like Sirius.” (And – Ah, no, Potter. That’s the best you’ve got?)

“Maybe I should be on the date with _him_ , then,” says Lily, moving the bag to her other arm and looking a lot like she’s trying not to smile.

“Date,” says James. “Right. So I should keep this on?”

“Unless you’re a big fan of impromptu strip-shows? I mean –”

“I don’t usually take part in them,” says James. “A bit, y’know, _raunchy_.”

“Raunchy,” says Lily. “You’re complaining about _raunchy._ Anyhow – butterbeer? I’ll pay.”

“Alright,” says James, who’s not one to turn down drinks bought by other people. “Are you – Are we? Okay?”

“Yeah,” says Lily. “Even if I’m not exactly sure what you mean by that.”

“Okay,” says James. _God_. He’s James. James Potter. Suave. What’s _happening_?

“Here,” says Lily, a minute later, nudging him with something cold. Oh. It’s a bottle of butterbeer. How’d she get it that fast?

“We could go hang out, at, like, the river?” says James. “Maybe snog. A little.”

Lily rolls her eyes. “Been waiting for you to do that,” she says, picking up her bag. “You’re such an _idiot_.”

And then she’s pinning him to the wall, and their hands are in each other’s hair, and James’s glasses are kind of pressing weirdly into his forehead and then suddenly there’s a blast of cold air, James’s foot crunches into a stray pile of snow, and a loud bark.

“Oh,” says James, detaching himself. They’re outside, and he’s almost stepped on a dog. “Sorry,” he says, turning around to apologize to the animal – It’s black. Large. Kind of shaggy-looking.

“Merlin’s fucking _beard_!” he shouts, pulling away from Lily and blushing.

“Why –” says Lily.

“Ruff,” barks the dog happily, wagging its tail, ever the picture of an innocent stray. But if James looks closely – there’s this sort of glint in its eye. Like, a ridiculously smug one. Remus can’t be far behind.

“Are you fucking _kidding_ me,” he swears, and then Lily’s dragging him away from the Three Broomsticks –

“Come _on,_ you tosser, what’s that dog done to you –”

James lets her pull him wherever she’s pulling him and when he turns around, the dog’s gone, but he can almost hear an _about time_ floating on the air.

**Author's Note:**

> so there you go. isaacasshey completely gives in to her potterly urges and self-indulgences. sorry if your teeth are rotting.
> 
> tumblr: ppprptts (for now)


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